why don't people drive??? I am surprised at the number of mnetters who can't drive..why don't you?

[brimfull]

genuinely would like to know

its difficult to type and drive

I lived in a small town and walked everywhere. I then lived in London and didn't need to. Neither of my parents drove, although my mum does now. I wish I had learnt to drive but the older I get the less likely it seems.

i'm just learning at the grand old age of 37. before children it was ok with living in London getting everywhere on public transport for holidays, with 2 kids and all their stuff, it is really hard now for holidays - only being able to go to places in walking distance from a station (taxis so unreliable with car seats etc)

however, it has taken 18months to get to the stage of booking a test, and I still feel fairly nervous, esp when I think of driving on my own with the children...

but it has to be done, even though I love st ives, I can't go there on holiday for the rest of my life.. .

I'd appreciate any tips/your stories on getting more confident with driving...

thanks T4T

I used to say I can't drive, as I have never learnt, but now I say I don't drive, as I have chosen not to.
I don't drive because of the environmental, social and economic factors all tied up in motoring.
Plus I'm skint and terribly clumsy.
I have no problem walking the 2/3 miles into town if I don't fancy risking there being buggy space on the bus. Not in this weather mind!
DH does drive, but he has to travel 20miles to work and back every day, otherwise we'd sell the moneytrap.

Idontlikesundays-I hope so

I don't have a job = not much money
Not much money = no car
No car = difficulty getting a job...

Oh, and then there's the travel sickness.

This is a cod thread
(only joking)

I have a bit of a traffic phobia. I have terrible reactions and freeze when I get scared. I tried to learn twice but hated it and got worse each time.

We moved to a house within a mile of our (small) town centre. I can walk to all our baby groups, we moved our office to within walking distance. There's a little 'old-people' bus that I can carry my supermarket shopping home on (2 massive bags, DS in the sling, handbag, nappy rucksack!) - the lovely driver drops me at my door.
As a sling user, busses are no problem (and they send DS to sleep - added bonus!)
So why bother?

DH does drive so that's fine for longer journeys. We occasionally struggle as there are a couple of my ante-natal group who I can't get the bus to, but lifts were easy with a newborn car seat, and now if I really need a lift DH can quickly pop out of work to do it. The only thing I would like to drive for is to be able to make a proper go of my sling business - but I can't so we're deliberately keeping it small.

I don't drive because:

(1) I have never needed to
(2) I like to walk (it keeps me fit) - I would be scared of becoming one of those people who hop in the car at every opportunity.
(3)I can't afford to learn or buy and run a car
(4) I was crap at it when I tried it

I do that. Maybe just as well i don't actually want to drive. Freezing like a deer in headlights can't be good when driving.

I dont have a licence, did start lessons when I was about 20, paid out for a crash course, which I didnt realise meant I would be driving for 8 hours a day with a 1 hour break halfway through for lunch, I gave up, it was just too long a day!

Even if I had passed and bought my own car I would rarely have been able to drive it, I lived (and still do) about a 2 min drive from congestion zone, so would only have been able to drive in one direction , couldnt have driven to work, (no parking) couldnt have driven on a night out (pisshead!) so I sort of forgot all about it, we have a car that dp takes to work, so even if I did have a licence I still wouldnt be able to drive during the day as we cant afford a second, and it would take longer for me to drive dd to nursery than walk, its a 4 min walk! so i'll prob never bother to learn, if Ii need a lift my mum, dp or brother will usually drop me somewhere.

I think there is a big difference between not being able to drive and choosing not to drive as a general rule, or just not having a car. I'm curious about the people who aren't able to drive, at all.

I went for 6 years in London not driving, but had a licence the whole time. We didn't need a car, but having a licence meant that we could hire a car for drive holidays, weekends, etc if we needed to. (Am from Australia - height of lunacy to not drive there so have always had a licence!)

i only learned fairly recently
basically i was too scared
now I am v glad I can do it- tis very useful

I applied for my provisional licence as soon as I turned 17 and eagerly started lessons. Someone quite nasty knocked my confidence so badly that I quit my lessons and didnt have the courage to go back for a few years.

I moved to London after school so didnt really have any motivation to drive. My housemate drove to work but I never accepted a lift as the public transport route was about 30 mins shorter than the drive. I dont think there is any need for a car in London

When I decided to move out of London I started taking lessons again - had a horrible instructor (know someone else who had him and also hated him) - he took a LOT of money off me but never signed me off to go to test - being in the car with him for 2 hours at a time made me really hate my lessons and in turn I really hated driving. He shouted all the time and kept telling me how I was getting worse not better

Got a hypnosis tape to get me over my hatred and fear of driving, it worked. Tried again with BSM, got a lovely female instructor and started to actually enjoy my lessons. Took about 2 years and 3 tests but I finally passed over a decade after I got my first provisional licence.

My DH is taking his test this month - he has taken 2 tests before, once in his teens and once in his early twenties. The reason for the big gaps is money - driving lessons are so expensive.

I could not be real friends with someone spineless enought not to drive ( unless for pretty good reasons)

SPEc the ones who say " there are so many idiots on the road"

well stay in bed then fgs

I learnt when I was 18 and drove my mum's car a few times but was always a nervous driver. Then I went to uni and didn't have access to a car. Personally, I've never felt the need for a car as I enjoy walking and have always worked in walking distance from home (or had to commute by train!) We have a family car that DP drives to work and we use for shopping etc.
At some point I'm going to have to drive again, I suppose, when DS gets older and wants to go to friend's houses, after school activities etc but the thought of it does make me nervous.
I don't pay enough attention to my surroundings to be a good driver!

AND WOMEN
WHAT A BAD role model to daughters.

learning to drive was harder for me than my degree or any professional courses I've ever done - it was my biggest challenge. I am very proud that I've finally passed even though it took me so long

I also didnt have the luxury of getting insured on my parents' cars (or getting bought a car to learn on at 17 like some of my peers) when I was learning so had no practice outside lessons. If you dont have a partner's or family member's car to practice on the cost of lessons can be prohibitive.

My DH wasnt able to learn while I was learning because we can only afford for one of us at a time to take lessons

Well TonyAlmeida - clearly I'm not spineless in your eyes as I have a licence, but I'm pretty damn sure I wouldn't want to be your friend anyway.

Same for me Sal. It's the only time I've ever been forced to really stick at and get to grips with something I'm naturally crap at (I'm crap at lots of things, but don't have to do most of them.)

I passed just before Christmas after 6 or 7 tests (so many I lost count).

Prior to having children I didn't really need to drive so although I was trying to learn, I never really put my back into it. Also it was only after meeting dh that I got the chance to practice between lessons.

uh huh, took ALL my will power to keep at it, I really really hated every second of it for a long time

I don't drive because I know I'd become uber lazy!

It's bad for the enviroment.

It costs a fortune, not just to learn but for the car, petrol, upkeep, insurance etc.

I don't trust other drivers on the road.

I like walking and want to encouage dd to be active.

There's perfectly good public transport in my area.

I'd end up with really bad road rage and want to kill someone

Tony, are you perchance one of the idiots currently on our roads? Your tone certainly suggests that at the very least you suffer from road rage, or bully other drivers who are not going as fast as you want to.

I am not spineless, I just prefer not suffer from hypertension caused by all the aforementioned types I'd want to throttle.

I didn't until my early 20's post Uni when I was working and could actually afford to pay for lessons. My parents thought it was something girls shouldn't do so I never had the option of learning unless I paid for it myself - whereas my brother got lessons and a car for his 17th birthday!

Ahh Kathy I am so glad you passed, I remember you on my thread when I passed my test.

I passed after billions of lessons last April. I still walk to lots of places and get the bus into town etc but it has given me a lot more freedom. I like being able to go whereever I want, I used to feel quite trapped. Public transport was great for getting me into town but no anywhere else.